Wednesday, December 8, 2010

It's 7 degrees out there; well, I think it's soared up to 9 degrees. Lawd! Unseasonably cold. I usually am pretty tough and will go out to walk the dogs in all kinds of weather, but this morning, I declined . . . because, just because!

GMR is taking Maggie and Jake (Psycho Dog and Fat Boy) to Lake Junaluska. Lawd! I broke a rule - I never dress my animals in clothes, but this morning we actually put one of GMR's sweatshirts on Jake; and one of my fleece jackets on Maggie. Laughing! But, when the temps are in the teens or below, and when wind chills are lower, drastic measures are called for. GMR had to bundle up, too, in layers. But Maggie Psycho Cutie is about to go nuts with cabin fever, the shorter walks around the cove are not enough for her. Oh the sacrifices we make for our animals - or should I say the sacrifices GMR is making, since he's taking them and I'm here in the little log house: teeheehee.

Soon the little log house in the cove will fill with the sounds of Christmas music and the aroma of spice. Ahhhhhhhh!

Then, I will settle in front of the fire to work on Rose & Thorn - our new issue is out January 15.

Soon, I will have to really sequester myself to work on VK III - do you know I'm getting mail from readers asking me not to stop writing about Virginia Kate? To stop saying "the final Graces book" ...? Makes me smile, but, dang, far as I know this is the final Graces book. Of course, I guess I can't predict if something else will happen in the future with VK writings - just don't know.

What's happening in your world? What are you up to today? And did you put down your Christmas wishes in the post below? I'm having so much fun reading those :-D

Okay, time to put on the Christmas Music, and to gather my ingredients for Pumpkin Bread.

Oh! And for those of you who like Bread Pudding (which I admit I do not), GMR is going to prepare Bobby Flay's "Pumpkin Bread Bread Pudding" out of some of the bread I make . . . I found the recipe on someone's blog out there in blogland, so click up there, or find it on Food Network.

The Blogger's pumpkin bread recipe is a bit different from mine, but you can find all kinds of recipes for pumpkin bread. In my recipe it calls for water, I use orange juice instead of water, and I put in lemon and orange zest and I add walnuts or pecans to mine.... no raisins since GMR hates them.

It sounds so cozy and wonderful in your little log cabin! Enjoy the pumpkin bread (and GMR can enjoy the pudding!) and being together with your pups inside your little Christmas cocoon :) It's sunny and cool here in Austin, Christmasy enough, but I have to say I miss the snow and cold from my Pennsylvania winters. We moved to TX about a year and a half ago after 12 years in PA.

I can smell the spices and feel the warmth of your kitchen in this blog. Now, have to get off here and bake something spicy and sweet. I'm thinking cranberry bread because that's what I have the ingredients for.Blessings on this wintry day. COld here in Oh as well. BUT it's 20 or so.

Christmas music and pumpkin bread sound like just the thing for such a dang cold evening!! And I thought we were freezing at 30 degrees (daytime temp) here in Harrisonburg, Virginia. But it IS cold; at least that's what my old bones tell me!!

What awesome photographs! Especially the tree limbs with that spot of red--a red bird I assume? And the pumpkin bread pudding--makes my mouth water!Ann Best, Long Journey Home

I can just imagine the joy, warmth and smells in your home as you baked and listening to Christmas music...a perfect thing to do when it's cold like this...it's been cold here too and now it will warm up a bit so that it can snow some more tomorrow. Sigh. Hugs to you dear Kat. XX

Wow, that's cold! In Calif. I would call 48 degr.F.(at 10 pm) unseasonably cold Pumpkin bread sounds a good idea, because I didn't use the pumpkin I bought for Thanksgiving (my dear daughter has energy for 2 so she made 2 pies before I was even up:)

That pumpkin bread sounds SO yummy! And the picture with the little red bird is amazing! Just one little spot of red. I love it. Have a great time hunkering down. It's getting warmer here today, but we're getting a storm on Sunday. Maybe I'll make that recipe that day. =)

Cool coincidence to one of your photos. The first thing I saw when I went to the kitchen to make coffee in the morning was a lone cardinal, bright red against all of the gray and such outside. The vivid red was startling, and he was kind enough to just sit on the fence railing a few feet from our window for the whole time I was making the brew.

Ooo, I love bread pudding! I'll have to try that one out tomorrow! That picture of the cardinal is simply amazing! I hope you enjoyed your day and kept warm! I like looking at your snow pictures, but I'm glad we don't have any!

I'm not a big bread pudding fan, but I love pumpkin in baking. One of my kids' favorite desserts are double chocolate pumpkin cupcakes with cinnamon icing. I substitute apple sauce for oil and use only about a Tbsp. of margarine in the icing, so not that bad for you, either.